UK PM's Trip to China a Balancing Act  01/28 06:15

   

   BEIJING (AP) -- U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday that his 
country would not have to choose between relations with the U.S. and China as 
he started a four-day trip to China aimed at repairing ties and expanding 
opportunities for British companies in the world's second-largest economy.

   The British leader arrived in the capital Beijing in the late afternoon. 
Earlier, he told reporters while en route that he would balance engagement with 
China with national security concerns.

   "I'm a pragmatist, a British pragmatist applying common sense," he said.

   He is the first U.K. prime minister to visit Beijing since Theresa May in 
2018. The relationship deteriorated in the intervening years over growing 
concern about Chinese espionage, Beijing's support for Russia in the Ukraine 
war and its crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong, the former British 
colony.

   Those issues remain, but both sides are emphasizing that they should "seek 
common ground while managing differences," as Zheng Zeguang, China's Ambassador 
to the U.K., wrote in a commentary for The Times of London this week.

   The UK sees opportunity in selling services to China

   Starmer, whose center-left Labour Party government has struggled to deliver 
the economic growth it promised, is bringing a delegation of more than 50 
British business leaders including executives from British Airways, HSBC bank 
and Jaguar Land Rover. His agenda includes Shanghai, the nation's financial 
capital and a major port, as well as meetings with Xi Jinping and other Chinese 
leaders in Beijing.

   Wang Yiwei, a European affairs expert at Renmin University of China, said 
that Britain's strengths in finance, consulting and other services dovetail 
well with a growing appetite in China for services such as health and elderly 
care. "It's a huge market," he said.

   China had a huge trade surplus with the U.K. in 2025, exporting $85.1 
billion in goods while importing $18.6 billion worth, according to Chinese 
statistics. But the U.K. had a trade surplus in services.

   "With recent Chinese policy directives focused on boosting domestic 
consumption and further opening the services sector to international 
businesses, we see significant opportunities for growth for U.K. businesses," 
the China-Britain Business Council said.

   The Trump factor weighs on both countries

   For many governments, the disruption to global trade under U.S. President 
Donald Trump has made expanding trade and investment even more imperative.

   Both Britain and China have been buffeted by U.S. President Donald Trump's 
tariffs and are seeking to diversify their overseas markets and the supply 
chains for their industries. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a trip to 
China earlier this month with the same goals in mind.

   The approach is not without risks. Trump has threatened to put a 100% tariff 
on Canada if it reaches a trade deal with China, prompting a swift response 
from Carney. Canada and China have a preliminary agreement to cut tariffs on 
electric vehicles and farm goods, but Canada has no intention of pursuing a 
free trade deal with Beijing, the Canadian leader said.

   For many countries, the challenge is finding the right balance in an 
increasingly uncertain world. Even China, seen by many as a challenger to U.S. 
dominance in the 21st century, cannot oppose America, Wang said, noting Trump's 
planned visit in April.

   "We are not against but we criticize," he said.

   Spying and Hong Kong complicate the relationship

   Concern about Chinese spying and surveillance has risen sharply in many 
countries in recent years, complicating trade and overall relations. The U.K. 
has barred Chinese investment in sensitive telecoms infrastructure and squeezed 
China out of investment in new nuclear power plants, souring ties.

   Starmer's government has said it will protect national security while 
keeping up diplomatic dialogue and economic cooperation with the Asian 
superpower. The U.K. recently approved plans for a huge Chinese Embassy in 
London, removing a sticking point in relations but also overriding claims by 
critics that the "mega-embassy" would make it easier for China to conduct 
espionage and intimidate dissidents.

   While most Western leaders come under pressure to raise human rights issues 
with China, they are a particular flashpoint for the U.K. because of its 
historical links to Hong Kong, a British colony until 1997.

   Starmer's visit comes less than two months after a Hong Kong court convicted 
Jimmy Lai, a former newspaper publisher and a British citizen, under a national 
security law that Beijing imposed on the territory after massive pro-democracy 
protests in 2019.

   Chris Patten, the British governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997, said 
Starmer should be firm in raising disagreements over Lai's imprisonment and 
other human rights issues.